Moldova probes power line & road project irregularities
Prosecutors are investigating potential irregularities in the tender process for the construction of the Vulcănești – Chișinău high-voltage power line, a strategic project for Moldova's energy independence.
However, no official complaints have been filed to date, as stated by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Octavian Iachimovschi of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office during a live broadcast.
He specified that irregularities were reported in the organization of the tender, raising suspicions of favoritism towards one company over others, and these aspects will be verified by prosecutors.
"We know for sure that certain violations were brought to light, but, in fact, we haven't received any complaints from anyone," Iachimovschi said. "The prosecutor initiated the investigation themselves to look into these matters, but it's an atypical situation. Usually, in a procurement process, someone comes forward and files a complaint, believing they were wronged or that certain procedures were violated, but we don't have that here."
"Criminal cases of this nature can take years to clarify all circumstances, and irregularities sometimes remain unconfirmed," Octavian Iachimovschi added.
"The fact that someone might eventually be found guilty for that tender doesn't mean the tender has to be canceled or that work must stop. Construction can continue and be finalized as planned by the government. And I agree that it's an essential infrastructure project for our country, as our current capacity can no longer handle certain loads and stresses within the system. I can tell you there's a very large volume of documents being reviewed, approximately 10,000 documents. Some of them need to be translated, and others are in the process of translation. It's quite complicated."
Regarding the Leova–Bumbăta case, Octavian Iachimovschi stated that a technical assessment is most likely to take place in June, carried out in collaboration with a specialist from Ukraine. Concurrently, prosecutors have initiated several mutual legal assistance requests, which will contribute to clarifying the case. If the obtained responses confirm expectations, "it will be an interesting result," Iachimovschi added.
"The expert is an independent party within the criminal proceedings. I won't make predictions, but I hope that all relevant information, especially regarding the road's price and quality – aspects that interest us most – will be provided as soon as possible. Of course, we are also carrying out other procedural actions."
He mentioned that the technical assessment was requested in the first part of last year, but the procedures were complicated.
Some experts were recused, additional information and questions were requested by the defense, and several hypotheses had to be verified. Some questions were accepted, others were not. "I admit that these bureaucratic issues delayed the process, and the experts only effectively started working in the fall, if I'm not mistaken."
Construction of the access road to the Leova-Bumbăta border crossing point began in the fall of 2022. Initially, the total value of the project was estimated at 250 million lei. After some time, costs increased by another 30 million lei.
In December 2023, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office initiated a criminal case for abuse of office, as the costs for the road's construction had raised suspicions. Previously, prosecutors had also conducted searches in the offices of employees of the State Road Administration, as well as at companies involved in the construction and design.
In May 2024, an employee of the State Road Administration was charged in the criminal case concerning the fraudulent management of this road's construction. The official stands accused of abuse of office. During the criminal investigation, it was determined that the state incurred damages of approximately 250 million lei during the construction of this access road.
At that time, it was widely reported in the public sphere that the person charged was Sergiu Bejan, the Director General of the State Road Administration (ASD). He then admitted to being questioned by prosecutors but refused to provide further details. Bejan nevertheless emphasized, in a comment for Teleradio-Moldova, that all expenses for the construction of the Leova-Bumbăta access road were incurred transparently and that all information had been made public.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
